Tag: Paris

Summer in the Jardin des Tuileries

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute

In the summer of 2024 the Jardin des Tuileries became famous with the Olympic cauldron. The success of the event lead to it being reinstalled for the summer of 2025. So I wanted to go back to the Jardin des Tuileries which I had visited in 2024 and capture the mood of Summer in the Jardin des Tuileries. What a treat I had install with the installation of the fairground just next to the cauldon.

So out came the camera and I took a couple of shots of the cauldron. I then turned my attention to try and capture the colour, speed, excitement and fun that a fair can bring.

The city website for the Jardin des Tuileries for more details of the park.

The Cauldron

The cauldron is back in Paris for Summer in the Jardin des Tuileries until 14 September 2025.

La Fête des Tuileries

The fair is right in the heart of Paris, between the Louvre and place de la Concorde. Easy to get to via metro Ligne 1. They have page telling you more information about the La Fête des Tuileries.

There is no entrance fee to the fairground, and you pay each ride individually. My idea was to walk from one end and back and try to capture the mood, the colour, the joy and excitement.

For 2025 the last day to visit he fair is August 24.

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I have some other posts regarding life in and around Paris

City architecture

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

A great idea for a photographic experience is to visit a modern business area. They are crammed with buildings, people, and often, art and gardens. They are often cities within a city. The city architecture is ideal for capturing :

  • reflections,
  • symmetry,
  • long straight lines,
  • angles,
  • colour
  • monochrome
  • sunbursts, and
  • shadows

Perhaps not everything in one afternoon. You get the idea. City architecture gives you great scope to practice techniques and be imaginative.

La Défense, Paris, France

My local city architecture is at La Défense, near Paris, France. You may have seen it from the Champs Elysées. It is named after the statue which still stands at street level in the centre of a large square. La Defense is built around its parvis and this means that you are almost always above street level.

Getting there

So you are tempted by the idea. How do you get to La Défense? Firstly you should note that it is often referred to as Paris La Défense, because it is very close to the city. But it is not actually in the city.

Car

Getting there by car is possible with many car parks available. La Defense is, for a large part, enclosed in a boulevard which is sort of pear shaped. If you miss your exit it may be easier to go around.

Public transport

The best way to get to La Défense is public transport. It has :

  • International and local bus stations
  • Express city trains RER A
  • Local trains
  • Metro M1
  • Tram
  • Bicycle
  • Scooters

Many arrive at dedicated stations under street level. Therefore you will have to work your way up to the parvis level. Perhaps the only gotcha I can think of is that the metro station is part of the standard city zone. Because of this M1 is a cheap and easy way of getting there. The RER A is quicker but classed as zone 3 so yoiu need a special ticket to get from the Champs Elyséés to La Défense on the RER.

I will not reinvent the wheel, they have a web site that gives much more information. It will open in a new tab, just click here.

How long to allow

It is a large area, and takes around 30 minutes to walk the 2.5km end to end. And if you’re going to be zigzagging and stopping to take pictures you really should be looking at around an hour minimum. This will give you chance to see a large part of the area. You can download a detailed map available here.

There are some impressive building to see:

  • The twin towers of the Société Générale in the Valmy area, in my dreams a setting sun between the 2 would be spectacular
  • The Grande Arche, at the railway end of the Parvis. It’s a cube with 2 faces missing.
  • The CNIT, built in 1958, it was the first building and has a unique triangular structure.

There are also many pieces of sculpture spread across the whole area.

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Arc de Triomphe

The Eiffel Tower

Underground Paris

and Urban Settings from my visit to La Défense in 2021

Explore underground Paris

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

A few weeks ago I went to the Eiffel tower, got there late, but still took some nice photos. You can see the post about this visit here. I decided to go to the same starting point to explore underground Paris. Firstly there are 2 dedicated museums that allow you to explore underground Paris: the sewers and the catacombes. They are almost as far from each other as you can get in Paris. Obviously that doesn’t matter if its a lovely day. Of course if its raining skip all the walking and enjoy an unusual dry visit.

The starting point.

Take public transport to the Eiffel tower or pont Alma. You may recognize this image from the earlier post as its the same church near the Eiffel tower.

Looking in the other direction, eastwards, there is the Quai d’Orsay. It is famous for its large museum. Not for the Sewers museum. Give yourself an hour to visit this inexpensive museum. It’s part of the sewer system and can come with the expected odours.

What is interesting is to see the scale of the system and various tunnels. Being underground the temperature varies less than at street level.

A little over an hour later I am out. I decided to walk along the river Seine to the splendid Pont Alexandre III. Taking in the sights and fresh air. The pont Alexandre III is easy to recognize by it’s golden flame-like statues. On the way you pass the Archipel des Berges de Seine Niki de Saint-Phalle which is a nature reserve built on 5 barges moored on the river. It protects birds and fish from people whilst allowing us to get close by crawling across the netting.

I continued walking along the river, past the Assemblée Nationale. There’s plenty of time to be underground later. I continued a little further so I could get a direct bus, the 68 bus. The 68 runs from near the musée d’Orsay, rue Solferino, which you must visit one day, to the large place de Denfert-Rochereau. This is just a 2 minute walk from the entrance of the Catacombes de Paris.

Visiting the Catacombes de Paris

You must reserve online before you go. They are limited to 200 visitors at a time. There are a lot of steps, and plenty of uneven pathways. It also has a stable temperature year round. It is quite humid. Some people may fine it claustrophobic. But it is unique and is a mixture of the old quarries and the bones of deceased Parisians that have been moved over time. Therefore you should avoid treating it like a museum and more like a church or sacred place. You also should note that the exit is a good 5 minutes walk away from the entrance.

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Late evening sunlight

The Roman Aqueduct de Barbegal

Low light needs a tripod and patience

Visiting the Arc de Triomphe

End of the day – the Eiffel Tower

The business area of La Défense

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Arc de Triomphe

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

There can be very few sites around the world that are as well known as the Arc de Triomphe. It is a must visit spot in Paris, France. Along with the Avenue des Champs Elysées and Place Charles de Gaulle. I found myself in Paris with an hour free, and I had never visited the Arc de Triomphe. It’s been waiting for my visit since 1836. Here is how the visit went.

Access

As the Arc de Triomphe is located at the top of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées and Avenue de la Grande-Armée it is easy to get to. Well served by bus routes and, most importantly, the station Charles de Gaulle Etolie, on the RER A and several metro lines, 1, 2 and 6. Access to the Arc de Triomphe monument is via a tunnel which is located at the very top of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Do not even think about crossing the road!

Entrance is by ticket only. These can be purchased in advance, or at the ticket booth in the tunnel. Do not queue if you have a ticket already. On the other hand don’t purchase a ticket if you meet the free entry criteria. Free entry was available when I went, for example, for under 18s, and EU students up to 25. For free entry you have to queue at the ticket booth. Information and tickets can be found here (opens in a new tab). It’s also worth noting that if you do not want to visit the interior and rooftop you do not need a ticket nor do you queue. You can just follow the stairs up to the surface and visit the tomb of the unknown soldier, the exterior of the monument and the place. I have been very happy doing this many times.

Outside the Monument

There is plenty to see just around the monument if you choose not to visit inside, for example you find it too busy.

Getting to the roof

Fortunately for the less able access to the roof top is available by elevator. There are many ramps too to help avoid steps. It’s also worth noting there are toilets in the roof area.

However most visitors are expected to climb up and down the spiral staircases. There are 284 steps. Your thighs will burn at the top. Finally there is a security check before you can enter and bags cannot exceed: 40x40x20cm.

The view from the top

Enough words, this is the view I had.

Whilst you are in the area

There are many things to visit in the area.

  • The Avenue de Champs-Elysées and its shopping
  • The Avneue George V which leads you to the fashion houses of Paris 8eme
  • Down Avenue Kléber there is the Trocadero, with its gardens, fountains, museums and most iconic view of the Eiffel tower.

Other posts that may interest you:

There are 2 blog posts which relate to this area

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End of the day – the Eiffel Tower

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

I was not very quick getting out of the house today. However a short trip into Paris and I realised I could take some photographs of the most iconic tower at end of the day – the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was late in the day and I thought as I walked around the site I could capture the tower in different lighting.

In the evening bring a tripod

I had brought my full kit bag with me fortunately. It contains spare cards, batteries, objectives and 2 tripods. A classic tripod that attaches to the outside and a small one with bendy legs inside. It was the latter that proved most useful. The Eiffel tower is well known and very busy. The small tripod allowed me to easily use walls, statues and the ground for my shots. With the advantage of not bothering too many people.

The light

The glorious light of a winter’s day gives way to various stages of light as the sun sets and the light has to pass through more of our planet’s atmosphere. I discuss this further in another blog post. The phases for these photos are:

  • Golden hour
  • Blue hour
  • Twilight
  • Night

The route

I started at the Alma-Marceau metro station. This is on the right bank of the River Seine and allows me to approach the tower via the pont de l’Alma. I then crossed the river Seine and walked towards the tower along the Quai Jacques Chirac. Once at the foot of the tower I walked away from the river towards the Champs de Mars. Then across the gardens to walk back to the river and back to the foot of the Eiffel tower. Then back across the river Seine via the Pont d’Iena. Up the pathways via the Trocadero gardens and finally back into the metro system and home. This short walk took me to the end of the day – the Eiffel Tower was definitely the star of the show.

Also along the route

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Urban settings

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

Urban settings can provide you with a refreshing new environment and different stimuli to get your creative juices following. On the western edge of Paris is the large urban development of “Paris La Défense”. It spreads out over three towns: Courbevoie, Nanterre and Puteaux. It includes a large pedestrian area surrounded by huge office towers, a few residential buildings, dozens of works of art and a large shopping centre. It’s a great place for an afternoon’s photography.

Urban settings provide a wide variety of potential themes and can be overwhelming. When I head to an urban setting I give myself a theme and try to use that to get myself on a roll. Inevitably I get distracted and wander off topic and that’s exactly what I want!

My visit took place on a sunny afternoon. Much more pleasant when walking around outside. But wet and cloudy weather should not be a reason to cancel. It could actually be the subject of another urban setting post if I remember.

Themes

What sort of themes can you choose to help you get going in such an environment? Well there’s no real limit. Some of the easier, and larger topics, include :

  • Reflections and Shadows
  • Curves and Straight lines
  • Art and Graffiti
  • People
  • Buildings and bridges
  • Skyline and towers

You pick your favorite and then go where it takes you. It’s very hard not to be distracted by the things that catch your eye. I think I started with curves and lines.

As you can see it didn’t take long to get into shadows, reflections skylines, and people. What is important is to be imaginative. A couple of my favorites from the afternoon out are the reflection of people and the cube, more properly referred to as the Grand Arche de La Defense.

Preparing your trip

So what do you need to do before heading out to ensure you get the best of the visit?

Time needed: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Tips to help you organize your day.

  1. Camera and Equipment

    You’ll need an empty SD card and a full battery. A zoom lens, maybe a polarizing filter. If you’re going to be there late, pack your tripod. Some protection against the weather if you have a doubt.

  2. Getting there

    There are a large variety of transport infrastructures at La defense, including many car parks. However I would avoid cars if you can and prefer Overground or underground rail, bus, or tram. The parvis is also designed for bicycles, and scooters. Which also means getting around if you are less able is not a problem.

  3. The visit

    There are no rules here. But I like to do a loop. For 2 reasons, firstly it gets me back to my transport system, and secondly I get 2 chances to photograph everything in two different periods of the day. I start at the western end, near Nanterre where the tram and overground SNCF stations are. You can do it the other way by starting near Paris in the east at the metro station Parvis de La Defense. The RER station and buses are in between these. Also note the RER train tickets are more expensive that the metro.

  4. Useful web sites

    La defense French and English with all the latest news and events, and maps
    Le 4 temps and CNIT shopping
    Public transport In English and French

While you are there

If you really want make a day of it, and evening. there are other things to do including:

  • The Paris La Défense Arena which hosts concerts and sporting events.
  • La Grande Arche, which is itself a spectacular building, but also has an exhibition area which often has photography exhibitions

I hope that helps you have a successful day.

There are some photos of bridges in my walk along the river Seine post and more of La Défense from a more recent visit.

Other photos of mine are available for purchase on my store or  below.